Box score
Emilee Skinner had her own Michael Jordan flu game on Saturday afternoon in Cedar City.
After watching Friday’s semifinals from her hotel bed, Skinner was back on the floor for the 4A championship a day later, and though visibly far from her normal, she was still engine that led Ridgeline to an impressive 3-peat in front of an appreciative crowd at SUU.
Skinner, a Duke signee and one of the best players the state has ever produced, racked up 21 points, nine rebounds, three steals and three assists as Ridgeline capped an undefeated season with a dominant 65-46 victory over fellow unbeaten Snow Canyon.
“Em’s presence on the court is a big boost for us. Last night those girls showed that they could play, but just having Em out there, confidence for the girls, and just knowing she’s there, it’s a big boost,” said Ridgeline coach Ainsli Jenks.
“We talked today in the locker room before we went out. I said, ‘You guys leveled up yesterday and showed the state that you guys can play without Em. Em’s here, stay level and let’s go do this thing.”
It was a heavyweight showdown on paper that never quite materialized as Ridgeline’s supporting cast around Skinner was just far superior.
Ahead of the game, Snow Canyon coach Sue Hoskins felt pretty confident that her star player Olivia Hamlin and Skinner would each get their points. They did, with Hamlin scoring 24 and Skinner 21. Hoskins believed the title would ultimately come down to the other eight players on the floor.
The battle of the role players wasn’t even close.
Brooke Smith scored 18 points for Ridgeline, with Abby Munford adding 14 points and 10 rebounds. Collectively, besides Skinner, the rest of Ridgeline’s team shot 15 of 35 from the field.
The Riverhawks shot 47% for the game.
For Snow Canyon, it couldn’t get anything going offensively against Ridgeline’s suffocating defense as it shot just 37%. It was very tough sledding for the supporting cast around Hamlin, something Ridgeline was confident it could make happen heading into the game.
“We love our defense. We spend lots of time on the defense, and these girls haven’t just been working defensively this year, we’ve been working for years,” Jenks said.
“They guarded the state championship team last year and the year before. Defense is something we tell them, ‘If you can play good defense, offense will come up.’”
Early on Saturday, it looked like Snow Canyon would be able to hang with Ridgeline. Hamlin scored her team’s first six points, and the Warriors only trailed 13-11 after the first quarter.
Snow Canyon’s Chaylee Andrews scored on a rebound putback to open the second quarter, tying the game 13-13. It was the last time the game was close.
Makaydi Jenks responded with a 3-pointer, kicking off a 19-7 run that Skinner capped with a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.
The lead continued to swell in the second half as Ridgeline marched to the easy state championship win. In Skinner’s four years at Ridgeline, the team went 102-4 with three state championships.
“I’m just super happy for the for the team and for the girls, because they work so hard and everyone such good friends. So I’m gonna miss the girls, but I’m just happy that we won and we competed,” said Skinner, who said she probably wasn’t even 50% healthy on Saturday.
There was never a doubt that she would give it a go and play. She got an IV on Saturday morning to help with her energy.
“I just don’t feel good. I wanna go home and get some sleep,” said Skinner.
Unlike last year, this year’s championship wasn’t a foregone conclusion, and that’s what Skinner was so proud about after the win.
“You know, a lot of people didn’t think we were going to be as good as we were last year with the senior group we had, and I’m just proud of all the girls because we’ve proved everyone wrong,” said Skinner.
Munford said team basketball was the key Saturday, just as it’s been all season.
“I feel like Snow Canyon was just trying to do it all by themselves, and you have to be a team. You can’t just do it all by ourselves. Em was sick, so we all had to step up and play a role in the game,” said Munford, who was named the Deseret News 4A tournament MVP.
While Munford’s career is just getting started, Skinner wraps up her career as the fourth-leading scorer in state history with 2,305 points.
After nearly fainting near the baseline with about four minutes left in the game, Skinner was helped off the court as she received a standing ovation from the Ridgeline fans who made the trek to Cedar City.
Skinner’s senior counterpart at Snow Canyon, the Nebraska-bound Hamlin, finishes as the second-leading scorer in state history with 2,513 points.
4A All-Tournament Team
MVP — Abby Munford, Ridgeline
Emilee Skinner, Ridgeline
Brooke Smith, Ridgeline
Makaydi Jenks, Ridgeline
Olivia Hamlin, Snow Canyon
Jaycee Bundy, Dixie